Sunday, 31 July 2016

Above is a stone or plaster carving in Rhyl depicting a medieval-looking building such as a castle or church.The question: Where would you find it?Below is a classical design bearing the inscription Rhyl Urban District Council 1900.The question: Where would you find it?

You need both answers correct to score 1 win.--

You have until the end of Saturday 6th August 2016 to send your entry. The result will appear on this blog next day around noon.Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk--

In last Sunday's quiz I said that the man shown above was well known around here in 1970s and 1980s. The question: What is his name?The answer: Sir Anthony Meyer.He was Member of Parliament for local constituencies from 1970-1992 taking over from Nigel Birch. He was a pro-Europe Conservative. He did not get on well with Margaret Thatcher PM, stood against her in contest for party leader, and switched to Liberal Democrats late in life. You can read about Sir Anthony Meyer in Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Anthony_Meyer,_3rd_Baronet

--

Also I said that the woman below was known around here even earlier until even later. The question: What is her name?

The answer Beata Brookes.

She was a politician/social worker/farmer who served on
Rhyl Urban District Council, Clwyd Health Authority and as a Member of European
Parliament for North Wales. In 1970 she failed narrowly to beat Sir Anthony
Meyer in being selected as Tory candidate and never did manage to become an MP. She turned UKIP late in life. You can read about Ms Brookes in Wikipedia:

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

The name of Blencathra School has cropped up several times in this blog. It was a private school for girls in Russell Road. But before that it was in a house named Moranedd in East Parade, most often remembered as the Grange Hotel (recently demolished - all gone).

Here is a school prospectus from Moranedd days:

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

This rare document was sent by Angie Bhatia. It belonged to a family friend the late Daisy Murcott (who may or may not have been a Blencathra girl). Daisy followed her father Alfred Murcott into an international trading business and she was very committed to animal welfare.If it had not been for Daisy holding on to the prospectus for many years, and Angie taking the trouble to send it here to Rhyl Life,the document may have been consigned to oblivion. The two ladies have done Rhyl history a favour.My thanks and best wishes to Angie and her husband in Birmingham.--The following references are added here for indexing purposes:Alexander principal, Hiley head, Haselden violin, Bartholemew piano, Hutchings painting, Coulter elocution, Broom dancing, Byrne gymnastics sports, Bishop of St Asaph, Archdeacon Lloyd Rhyl, Wycliffe Goodwin, Anson Alexandra Hospital, Moreton Pritchard, Madocks Denbigh, Fair St Asaph, Eyton St Asaph, Kelly Rhyl, F J Gamlin.--

Last Sunday I posted the above photograph taken this year in Rhyl. The question: By what name is the green patch usually known? You were looking for four words.The answer: Tynewydd Road Playing Field(s).Photographed by Fred Burns who was standing in Ffordd Anwyl. The green patch is earmarked for a scheme that would incorporate a Rhyl Rugby Club pitch to replace the one in Waen near St. Asaph. You can read the story in Daily Post:

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Frequent contributor Dave Williams has turned out to be son of Albert Williams the tenor sax player who ran a music shop named Box & Co. (formerly Box & Stansfield) at 14 Water Street, Rhyl - a forerunner of Price Evans Music Shop.Dave has supplied the following rarity, a copy of a 1951 programme of entertainment at Golden Sands holiday camp in Kinmel Bay. His father Albert is bottom left in the green picture:

Click on the image to see small print.Also mentioned in the programme are Joe Holroyd of Manchester Rep & Little Theatre, and Angela Day who was the subject of a recent quiz question. Interestingly, Angela is listed as a BBC artiste - thereby must hang a tale as yet untold.The following references are added here for indexing purposes: James Clark bandleader, Gordon Jones (later known as Gordon Jay), Madame Jones, Uncle Jack childrens entertainer, Punch and Judy, Jimmy the talking doll, Raymond Thornley.--Here is another tasty item from Dave Williams, a photo taken circa 1970 at Golden Sands:

Left to right: Billy or Bill Roberts (trumpet), Albert Williams again (tenor sax, bandleader), 'Uncle Vic' Dodd (double bass), George Bazeley pronounced Bazley (clarinet), Benny Humphries (drums), and Rod Williams at the piano.Bill Roberts taught Vic Dodd to play bass. Vic was son-in-law of Arthur Jones who owned Golden Sands and the Robin Hood camp in Rhyl. Vic ended up as General Manager of the camps.The musicians in the photo had day jobs; they were semi-pro musicians but were players of very high calibre according to my contact, Morgan Borthwick ex-Secretary of the local Musicians' Union branch.In agreement is Brian Pendleton who was Entertainments Manager at Golden Sands in the 1950s and then Robin Hood until 1975. Brian lives in St. Asaph; I hope to go and visit him soon and run barefoot through his treasure trove of memories.--TUE 26th JUL 2016 UPDATE: Re: day jobs, the trumpeter Bill Roberts was a gas fitter / pianist Rod Williams had a grocer's shop in Mostyn / George Bazeley was manager of the abattoir in Ffordd Las, Rhyl / Benny Humphries lived in Rhyl and was a rep for Callard & Bowser confectionery.This info comes from Brian Pendleton. Thanks, Brian.--TUE 20th SEP 2016 UPDATE: To add flavour here is an old postcard of Golden Sands camp:

Sunday, 17 July 2016

The above photograph was taken this year in Rhyl.The question: By what name is the green patch usually known?You are looking for four words.The correct answer would score 1 win.--Below is a plate on which words are hidden by rows of black dots:

The question: What are the three missing words?The correct answer would score 1 win.--You have until the end of Saturday 23rd July 2016 to send your entry. The result will appear on this blog next day around noon.Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk--

Last Sunday I posted this: an unusual sight above a shop in Rhyl town centre. The question: What is the name of the shop?The answer: Kavick's Bazaar.The shop sells discounted household goods at 15 Wellington Road, photographed this year on a dull day by Yours Truly:

--Also I posted the following photo taken this year of a house in Rhyl. The question: What is currently the name of the house?

No good for a quiz picture, got to be Princes Street. The
item is a postcard dated 1913 from E. Davies who had recently taken up
residence at No. 26 (marked with an X) advising Mr. H. Harris of Wolverhampton of
the new address. I would love to see one of these cards in good condition – it’s
a Rae Pickard photograph!

Saturday, 16 July 2016

This is Carmarthen where today a Plaid Cymru Special Conference voted in favour of a
motion that reiterates the party's commitment to securing independence for
Wales in Europe:

Special Conference Motion

On June 23rd the people of Wales voted by a
narrow margin in favour of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Plaid Cymru campaigned for a different
outcome but respects the result as the expression of the democratic will of the
Welsh people. We also recognise that the
people of Scotland voted in favour of remaining in the European Union and
support the right of the Scottish people to chart their own future, including,
if necessary, through a new independence referendum.

It is essential now that the national movement seeks to
defend the interests of all people in Wales, regardless of how they voted, in
this changing political landscape.

11.Protecting Wales’s Interests

1.1.The
immediate task is to ensure that the interests of Wales are fully considered in
the long and complicated process of leaving the EU.

1.2.Plaid
Cymru believes that the Article 50 TEU process should be triggered only when a
clear strategy has been developed for exit, including the identification of
which parts of EU law we wish to retain in Wales.

1.3.Plaid
Cymru will:

1.3.1.Demand that the Welsh Government is fully
involved in the UK negotiations at every stage.
We call on the government in Wales to establish a team of expert
negotiators.

1.3.2.Call on the Welsh Government to establish a team
of advisors who can give specialist information to the newly established
Assembly Committee on External Affairs and Additional Negotiations and to the
negotiators.

1.3.3.Call on the UK to adopt a new and expanded
regional policy with a needs-based formula to compensate in full for the loss
of EU funding.

1.3.4.Insist that any powers repatriated to the UK are
devolved to Wales.

1.3.5.Explore with EFTA the potential for Wales
benefitting from the European Economic Area’s version of the Structural Funds
(EEA Grants).

1.3.6.Call on the Welsh and UK Governments to agree a
comprehensive plan of emergency economic assistance, a Marshall Plan for the
Welsh Economy.

1.3.8.Call for the expansion of Borrowing Powers for
Wales to support a new programme of Government funded and Government sponsored investment,
including through the new Development Bank and National Infrastructure
Commission.

1.3.9.Call for the UK’s role in the European
Investment Bank to be maintained. If
this is not successful then a new Investment Bank of the Isles should be
established to cover the four UK constituent nations and the Republic of
Ireland. The Welsh Government should bid
for this new Bank to be headquartered in Cardiff.

1.3.10.Insist
that if negotiations for Brexit involve a Norway-type solution, which includes
provisions for both single market access and full, or qualified, free
movement of people, it must be explicitly endorsed either by another referendum
or by a substantive motion approved by both Westminster and the National
Assembly of Wales.

22.Protecting Citizens’ Rights

2.1.The
decision to leave the EU has the potential to impact negatively on the rights
and life chances of the citizens of our country. We will:

2.1.1.Insist that the residency rights of all citizens
of Wales are respected, including those of EU Nationals, who are welcome in our
country and make a hugely valuable contribution to our society, our economy and
the diversity of our cultural life.

2.1.2.Existing protections at work,
including the rights of women, disabled people and the LGBT community, must be
maintained. Many of these have been accumulated over decades and are now
enshrined in EU law and used every day by thousands of Welsh workers – including access to paid annual holidays, improved
health and safety protection and equal treatment rights for part-time workers.
EU law has also extended rights to equal pay and strengthened protection from
sex discrimination. The EU promotes the active inclusion and full participation
of disabled people in society. We must fight to retain the gains
made.

33.Agriculture and Environment

3.1.Much of the legislation to
protect the environment in Wales emanates from European directives and
agreements. Membership of the EU has given farmers access to a huge single
market; the ability to protect the origin of Welsh food and direct support
payments for farmers and funds for rural communities. We will:

3.1.1.Insist that current environmental law is retained unless
legislated for differently by the National Assembly.

3.1.2.Demand full devolution of energy policy, including across the
Irish Sea, and continue European co-operation and co-ordination on climate
change targets and objectives.

3.1.3.Urge a swift review of the rural development programme to
ensure its relevance to the new economic circumstances.

3.1.4.Advocate the maintenance of the current funding envelope for
rural communities and farmers and the development of a distinct agriculture and
fisheries policy for Wales.

3.1.5.Prioritise a
trade deal to ensure continued access to EU markets for agricultural and
fishing produce.

44.Race

4.1.Plaid
Cymru notes with dismay the negative impact the EU referendum has had on ethnic
minorities in Wales.

4.2.This
conference condemns the divisive tone of the Leave Campaign and the racial
hatred it has incited. It is frightening to see the reported rise in racist
incidents in our communities since the referendum.

4.3.Plaid
Cymru reaffirms its position as an inclusive party that extends a welcome to
all nationalities in Wales. Migrants
have contributed immensely to our country and this conference reassures foreign
nationals residing here that they remain valued members of our society.

4.4.The
EU upholds principles of cooperation and unity and, at every opportunity, we
will maintain and strengthen Wales’s national identity as an inclusive,
progressive bond for the common good.

55.Youth

5.1.This
conference notes that leaving the European Union will result in a series of
lost opportunities for young people in Wales.

5.2.Having
access to schemes such as Erasmus+ and the right to study in the European Union
broadens horizons and opens doors for thousands.

5.3.The
Horizon 2020 research funding enables Welsh universities to compete on a world
stage and provide world class education.

5.4.EEA countries have access to
the Horizon 2020 and Erasmus programmes which underlines the attraction of that
option.

5.5.Plaid
Cymru further notes how 18-24 year olds voted overwhelmingly to remain in the
EU.

5.6.Plaid
Cymru will insist that the UK government makes every effort to cushion the
impact leaving the EU has on the prospects of young people in Wales.

5.7.To
further engage young people in politics and ensure their voice is heard, Plaid
Cymru will continue to call for votes to be given to 16 and 17 year olds.

5.8.We
also reaffirm our commitment to providing political education to young people
in Wales to enrich democracy.

66.The
future of Wales in Europe

6.1.Plaid
Cymru reiterates its commitment to independence in Europe as our vision of
Wales’s future. We accept the mandate
that the referendum represents for the UK leaving the EU. The focus now turns
to the future relationship with the EU for which there are a range of
options. We will:

6.1.1.Push for constitutional and legal arrangements
to be put in place to enable a speedy independence referendum for Wales should
Scotland vote in favour of independence from the United Kingdom. Ensuring the
arrangements are in place is necessary to be able to benefit from the new
constitutional situation including, (but not limited to) giving an independent
Scotland “successor” or “continuator state” status within the European Union.

6.1.2.Demand a future relationship with the EU which
includes direct access to the single market given the vital importance of
securing Wales’s export markets, especially in manufacturing. We will resist any effort to negotiate
enhanced access for financial services to the detriment or exclusion of our
manufacturing sector.

6.1.3.Explore all available options to secure this
objective, but our interim conclusion is that membership of the European Free
Trade Association and the European Economic Area is likely to be the best
available option for Wales.

6.1.4.Press the Welsh Government, should the UK
Government choose an exit path which excludes Wales from the single market, to
explore all available options to achieve an autonomous solution for Wales. This may include negotiating a special
trading status for Wales directly with the European Union, as currently being
explored by other devolved legislatures, as well as associate membership of
EFTA (as currently being pursued by the Faroe Islands). The Welsh Government should reserve the right
to use any veto power it possesses to seek the best deal for Wales and call a
Wales-only referendum on the terms of any special deal negotiated for Wales in
order to establish its democratic legitimacy.

6.1.5.We endeavour to maintain the exciting
relationship between the people of Wales and small European nations while
working to secure the rights of minority language speakers and promote the use of
Welsh.

77.The future of Wales in these islands

7.1.We
believe in a new relationship among the nations of these islands based on
equality and partnership not the supremacy of the Westminster Parliament.

7.2.We
believe in an evolutionary path to self-government but recognise that the
United Kingdom may cease to exist in less than two years’ time if the people
Scotland decide to support independence in a forthcoming referendum, and/or the
people of northern Ireland opt for Irish unity in a subsequent vote. It is important that contingency plans are
drawn up for the future of our country in this rapidly changing context.

7.3.Under
these historically unprecedented conditions we call on the Welsh Government to
establish a National Convention on Wales’s Future:

7.3.1.To decide on the best future relationship with
Europe for Wales with the UK outside the EU.

7.3.2.To develop proposals for a new constitutional
settlement across the UK.

7.3.3.To develop contingency plans on the
constitutional options for Wales in the event of the United Kingdom ceasing to
exist following a YES vote in a Scottish second referendum.

7.4.In
the context of the Convention Plaid Cymru will propose:

7.4.1.A radical confederal rewriting of the current UK
constitution, including the abolition of the House of Lords in its present form
and the establishment of fully sovereign parliaments in each constituent nation
which freely choose where to pool their sovereignty in areas of common interest.

7.4.2.A multi-option referendum on Wales’s
constitutional future in the event of the UK ceasing to exist, in which all
options, including independence in Europe, will be presented for consideration
by the Welsh people.

Sunday, 10 July 2016

Above is an unusual sight above a shop in Rhyl town centre.The question: What is the name of the shop?The correct answer would score one win.--Below is a photograph taken this year of a house in Rhyl:

The question: What is currently the name of the house?The correct answer would score 1 win.--You have until the end of Saturday 16th July 2016 to send your entry. The result will appear on this blog next day around noon.Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk--

Saturday, 9 July 2016

The future relationship between the UK and the European
Union remains in a fog – and so do the possible alternatives.

There are countries, including Switzerland and
Iceland, trading freely with the European Union without having to accept EU
laws, but they DO have to accept free movement of people.

[I don’t know why the UK fails to understand that
labour is a moveable commodity. Great Britain had no difficulty in grasping the principle when buying captive African people and selling them as slaves.]

Now the proposed message from the UK to
prospective new partners overseas sounds like, “We
intend to make big profits selling goods and services to you, but your people
can’t come and live and work here.”

Hmmmm.

Anti-EU activist Mr. Farage has resigned from his
political party UKIP and slipped away into the fog before Leave voters realise
he sold them a pup.

Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru The Party of Wales,
has envisaged a redesigned UK with Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England as independent entities. Sounds good to me.

Meanwhile the rush to become less British is on.

A friend has a Liverpool-French wife who is
trying to get French nationality for the whole family so the two sons could
keep their EU passports. The Irish Embassy is rushed off its feet with
applications for Irish citizenship (the Republic is not leaving the EU no
matter what the UK does).

One or two Welsh businesses are rumoured to be considering Ireland
a possible place for relocation. Some businesses in the North of England, with an
eye on the future, are said to be wondering whether to move to Scotland.

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

In the run-up to the EU referendum some people were treating
the event lightly as if it were a boat race. The implications of the result to
Leave are only just sinking in.Today's Western Mail (above) reports research by
YouGov for ITV Wales and Cardiff University showing 53 per cent in Wales would
now vote in favour of Remain.

Couple of weeks ago it was my pleasure to visit Mike Davies at his home in Vale Road, Rhyl. Mike has a mass of material relating to family history and the social history of Vale Road. Below are some of his items.

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

Above: One of the V-J Day (Victory over Japan) parties in 1945 in Rhyl marking the very end of World War 2. Mike thinks the name of the place in the picture may have been Cut Street; he is the toddler below the red dot.The chap below the blue dot, cheering with the others, is believed to be Adrian Henri who was destined to gain fame as a poet and painter. From my own collection here he is in calmer pose later in life:

Adrian Henri has been quoted as saying, "From the age of sixteen through to the early (1960s) I did summer jobs in Rhyl's fairgrounds, trying to support myself as a painter over the winter, painting in a little builder's hut off Vale Road." You can read about Adrian Henri in Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Henri--

Above: Returning to Mike Davies's material, this map dated 1880, shows a large expanse of water on your left. It was nicknamed 'Tarleton's Lake' because Captain John Tarleton, one of the Commissioners of Rhyl, owned the land around there. [You may have noticed a Tarleton Street off East Parade.]Residents dumped rubbish in the water and an accident occurred in which two boys drowned before the 'Lake' was done away with.The map is in Rhyl Library should you wish to study it in finer detail.Below: Mike worked for food wholesalers G. & W. Collins in Marsh Road in a building opposite the present Good News Family Church. Working on the delivery side and later as a sales rep, Mike visited all the Rhyl cafes, restaurants and hotels.I particularly like his picture of Forte's Medina Restaurant in High Street. If Forte's were there today it would be next door to your left of Costa:

The pic dates from late 1950s/early 1960s. Mike says that at Forte's was operated by the Bracchi family and there was a dance floor upstairs; also there was a dance floor upstairs at Evans' Clwydian Cafe on corner of High Street and Wellington Road where the Granite camping shop is now.--From Mike's collection here is a very rare picture of the Royal Hotel, High Street, Rhyl, in Edwardian times. The hotel stood on the corner of High Street and Sussex Street where The Piazza restaurant is now:

Here is a detail from the above:

The following shot is of a lounge or dining room inside the Royal Hotel. Note the wonderful dresser on your right of the picture. It is not a Welsh dresser, it is Flemish (from Belgium):

That same piece of furniture is a family heirloom on his wife's side (her family used to operate the Royal Hotel) and now stands in Mike's living room. Here he is leaning on it, photographed by Yours Truly!

My thanks to Mike and his childhood sweetheart/wife, a delightful lady who was christened Glynne and is known as Lynne. She dodged my camera in case people got the impression that she knows a lot of about Rhyl history when in fact she doesn't - so don't ask her!Best wishes to them both.--